This invention relates generally to a trailer attachable to a vehicle and, more particularly, to a trailer configured to provide selectively an operation of tilting about its tire axis and an operation of dumping about a dump axis positioned rearwardly of the tire axis.
Trailers have been designed to provide the ability to tilt or to provide the ability to dump. A trailer that tilts generally has an articulated tongue that, when released to articulate about a generally transversely extending horizontal axis, allows the trailer to pivot about an axis corresponding to the center of the trailer tires, which if mounted coaxially on the trailer axle would correspond to the trailer axle, thus allowing the rearward end of the trailer to lower to the surface of the ground and permit convenient access to the trailer bed. Tilting is typically used to load other wheeled devices onto the trailer bed. Since the rearward end of the trailer bed is positionable adjacent the surface of the ground, a wheeled device such as a wheeled utility vehicle, a motorcycle, or a wheeled hand cart, can easily roll onto the trailer bed. Movement of the tilt function of such trailers is typically accomplished manually by releasing a locking device fixing the bed frame to the trailer tongue to permit the tongue to pivot relative to the bed frame and allow the bed frame to pivot about the tire center. Returning the trailer bed to a transport position with the bed frame fixed to the trailer tongue is typically a matter of balancing the load on the trailer bed relative to the tires to permit the bed frame to be pivoted back into position to be locked to the trailer tongue.
A dump trailer is also known in the art. Dump trailers are configured to pivot the trailer bed about a dump axis carried by the dump frame with the dump axis being located near or at the rearward end of the trailer bed. When the trailer bed is moved into a dump position, the rearward end of the trailer remains elevated above the ground while the forward end of the trailer bed is raised to urge any load on the trailer bed to slide off the bed onto the ground. The dump function is usually not accomplished manually. The movement of the bed frame carrying the trailer bed relative to the dump frame is typically accomplished through a dump actuator that is sufficiently powerful to raise the trailer bed and load thereon. This dump actuator is normally positioned underneath the trailer and is effective to cause a vertical movement of the trailer bed about the rearwardly positioned dump axis. To provide this known dump actuator configuration for a small towed trailer would require that the actuator be remotely powered and that the trailer structure provide sufficient depth to house and protect the dump actuator.
It would be desirable to provide a trailer capable of being towed behind a conventional vehicle, such as a truck or a car, that would be operable to provide both a tilt function and a dump function. It would also be desirable to provide a compact actuator mounting that would be effective to provide the dump function in a manner that would overcome the disadvantages of known dump actuators. It would also be desirable to provide a trailer and actuator configuration that would be conducive to being manually operated without requiring a remote power source.
It is an object of this invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a trailer having both dump and tilt functions.
It is another object of this invention to provide a trailer having an actuator operable to effect a tilting and dumping operations for the trailer.
It is a feature of this invention that the trailer is provided with a frame configuration that is connected to the tongue of the trailer and supports a bed frame to provide a dump frame configuration.
It is another feature of this invention that the trailer bed is selectively pivotable about a transverse axis corresponding to the axis of rotation of the wheels to provide a tilt feature for the trailer and about a transverse axis located at the rear portion of the trailer to provide a dump feature for the trailer.
It is an advantage of this invention that the same actuator can provide both tilt and dump functions for the trailer.
It is still another feature of this invention that the selection between the tilt and dump operations of the trailer can be selected by disconnecting or unlatching the articulated tilt frame from the tongue or by disconnecting or unlatching the bed frame from the articulated tilt frame.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a mounting for the actuator that will enable the actuator to perform both tilt and dump operations for the same trailer while being capable of being stowed into an inoperative transport position.
It is still another feature of this invention that the actuator can be pivoted about the connections thereof with the bed frame and the tongue of the trailer to be lowered into an inoperative transport position substantially parallel with the tongue of the trailer.
It is still another advantage of this invention that the actuator can be pivoted to a position that lies entirely below the plane of the surface of the trailer bed.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an actuator that can be manually powered or may be driven by a remote power source.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an actuator that can be installed as a kit for existing dump or tilt trailers to provide a power apparatus for accomplishing the pivotal movement of the trailer.
It is still another advantage of this invention that the actuator can be selectively configured for operation in a power mode or in a free mode in which the actuator does not interfere with the gravity operation of the trailer to tilt.
It is yet another feature of this invention that a latch mechanism is provided to control the pivotal movement of the actuator between a raised operative position and a lowered inoperative transport position.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a trailer operable to provide both tilt and dump functions which is durable in construction, inexpensive of manufacture, carefree of maintenance, facile in assemblage, and simple and effective in use.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an actuator that can provide powered tilt and dump operations for a trailer and be convertible between a raised operative position and a lowered inoperative transport position generally parallel to the trailer tongue.
These and other objects, features and advantages are accomplished according to the instant invention by providing a frame configuration that is particularly adaptable for use on a trailer such that the frame configuration is operable in both a tilt mode of operation and a dump mode of operation. An actuating mechanism includes a linear actuator that is supported on the frame by a bracket and a yoke that connects to a load bed to power the vertical movement of the load bed in both tilt and dump functions. The linear actuator is pivotally mounted to permit a re-positioning of the actuator into an inoperative position. The frame configuration is provided with an articulated tilt frame in which the tongue is pivoted thereto allowing the load bed to pivot about a tilt axis which can coincide with the wheel axis of the trailer. The bed frame can be locked to the tilt frame for tilting upon articulation with the tongue, while a disconnection of the bed frame from the tilt frame enables the bed frame to pivot about the dump axis to provide a dump function in addition to the tilt function. The actuator can pivot about the connection thereof to the bed frame to position the actuator into a lowered inoperative transport position generally parallel to the trailer tongue. A modified screw jack can be part of a kit that can be utilized to provide the powered operations of the tilt function for existing gravity-based tilt trailers.